AUK

Academic, Research & Training > Graduate Studies > Course Catalog

• Service Management
• Infrastructure and Natural Resource Development
• Project Management
• Public Service

Service Management

This program is popular with managers seeking to expand their professional skills in service industries such as banking, wholesale and retail trade, logistics and telecommunications. Many of Kosovo’s leading companies sponsor key employees to attend this course as part of their senior management development strategies. 

Students in the Service Management concentration must choose a second concentration. Most students combine this concentration with the Project Management concentration. Courses in the Service Management concentration include the following:

Elements of Service Management (4 credits): A general systems framework is used to explore the major components of service management using a variety of service sectors—health care, banking, insurance, real estate and hospitality-tourism. The course examines the interactions, interdependencies, and interactivity of service systems—to learn about the synergistic effects of the current changeable markets. In addition to this organizational focus above, the course begins the process of examining the learning organization from a professional and personal focus. Lastly, the course provides insights and practical applications to the evolving e-commerce environment and to learn service principles.

Breakthrough Thinking, Creativity & Innovation (4 credits): Learning to solve problems, create profound decisions, and continuously change our organizations has always been a function of leadership. Today’s fast-paced global business environment requires that we utilize equally insightful, aggressive, and distinctly new processes to change. This course examines the global phenomenon and builds in the learner new methods to achieve leadership in an age of change—breakthrough thinking, creativity, and innovation. The learner will become adept at true value innovation in a knowledge/service economy.

Human Capital Strategies (4 credits): This course examines how to develop a human capital strategy to acquire, retain, and engage the best available talent required for current and future success. It examines tools and techniques for human capital planning, sourcing, retention, and development. Students in this four-credit course examine benchmark practices from all industry types to derive effective strategies for their own organizations. They develop a human capital strategy and complete an integrated set of projects to implement selected components of the strategy.

Strategic Process of Service Firms (4 credits): An analysis of the organizational structure, operational procedures, corporate policies, financial growth and related factors of service firms. The course traces the evolution of various companies to reveal individual growth strategies. Service discovery, building service relationships, and understanding service as experiences are necessary skills that will be learned and used.

Service Performance Metrics (4 credits): This course examines the various self-assessment processes associated with improving service quality. The seven Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award categories, the eight President’s Award for Quality and Productivity categories (Federal Quality Institute), and the ISO 9000 categories are examined. These guidelines are oriented towards systems and are used to probe relationships that reach across departments and disciplines, with the goal of achieving and maintaining total quality service management.

Service Leadership (4 credits): This is a capstone course that examines various personal and personnel leadership functions as applied to the delivery of service excellence. Current literature is used to explore the interrelationship of various conceptual paradigms. The goal is to enhance the individual’s understanding and to augment his or her ability to interact in the service environment, and to critically understand strategies founded in continuous learning, change and learning organizations. Concepts discussed include: relationship management, empowerment, team building, corporate culture and opportunity management.

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Infrastructure and Natural Resource Development

Students in this degree concentration foster the management and technical skills needed for success in the regional energy and natural resource sectors. RIT and AUK, through the support of USAID, designed this concentration area to develop and incumbent and future workforce capable of leading Kosovo’s infrastructure development. Most students combine this concentration with the Project Management concentration. Courses in the Infrastructure and Natural Resource Development concentration include the following:

Energy Policy (4 credits): This course provides an overview of energy resources, technologies, and policies designed to ensure clean, stable supplies of energy for the future. The course evaluates the impacts of fossil fuel, renewable energy, and hydrogen technologies and how public policies can be used to influence their development. The development of U.S. energy policy is of particular concern, although a global perspective will be integrated throughout the course. No prerequisite. This course is a professional elective for the science, technology, and public policy master’s degree program and students in other graduate programs looking for policy electives (e.g., environmental science).

Natural Resource Economics (4 credits): This course develops an economic perspective on one of the most important and challenging issues facing global society—the allocation, use, and preservation of natural resources. The course presents and discusses the methodology economists use to inform natural resource managers and policy makers. Economic thought and analysis are used to evaluate a variety of issues in this area. The course concludes with a brief discussion of the interdisciplinary aspects of natural resource management.

Natural  Resource Development Law (4 credits): This course examines the legal principles applied to the development of resources and infrastructure. Sovereignty, property rights, land and water use, public trust doctrine, and other applicable legal foundations of development will be explored in a seminar format that allows students to develop a thorough understanding of the law as it is applied to their specific area of interest in resource and infrastructure development.

Seminar in Resource & Infrastructure Development (4 credits): A case based overview of global, regional, and local resource and infrastructure development challenges and issues. The course emphasizes the political, economic, and technological context of infrastructure and resource development. The course uses international case studies to critique existing practices and to identify international best practices in development. Topics include resource/infrastructure demand forecasting; strategies for conflict management and dispute resolution; strategies for stakeholder engagement; technology assessment and choice; and key development indicators.

Readings in Public Policy (4 credits): An in-depth inquiry into the seminal literature influencing key contemporary public policy debates. Students engage in critical reflection and original thought on theoretical and applied public policy problems. Emphasis is placed on policy issues in selected science and technology fields.

 

Project Management

Courses in this concentration are designed to provide students with the essential skills and tools to become expert Project Managers. From initiation to termination, a project must be well managed in the areas of organization, control, personnel, and time-management. Without success in these crucial areas a project will falter. Encountering the challenges of cultural and social differences, along with dealing with an assortment of industry focuses, the Project Manager must be aware of his or her goals of a project on a daily or even hourly basis. Most students combine the Project Management concentration with either Service Management or Infrastructure and Natural Resource Development.

Introduction to Project Management (4 credits): Addresses project management from a multidisciplinary perspective, covering the fundamental nature of managing a broad range of projects in business, engineering, manufacturing, medical, non-profit, and information systems-as well as techniques required to manage specific types of projects. Topics include project environment; planning, conflict & negotiation; budgeting; scheduling; resource allocation; monitoring & controlling; and project termination. Addresses the unique and demanding role of the project manager, the challenges of cross-cultural projects, and the behavioral and quantitative facets of project management. Introduces the major areas of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) as defined by the Project Management Institute.

Advanced Project Management (4 credits): The course covers the advanced project management topics necessary for implementation of and excellence in project management. Deals with turning the principles and theory of project management into practice. It addresses the best practices for project management in the world; project portfolio management; project risk management; multinational cultures and cultural failures; integrated project teams; and virtual project teams. Incorporates aspects of the PMBOK.

Introduction to Asset Management (4 credits): Unscheduled downtime costs businesses millions of dollars each year, but asset management and maintenance is often the last area to attract the attention of managers trying to lower costs. Usually thought of as non-value-added, maintenance and asset management policies can have significant impact on a company’s profit. This course introduces the student to the wide range of policies and practices, including capital budget issues related to asset acquisition, cost of ownership, and depreciation; maintenance policies such as run-to-failure, preventive maintenance, and reliability centered maintenance; and performance indicators for management programs.

International Project Finance (4 credits): Project financing is a contemporary financing technique used to finance large-scale natural resource and infrastructure projects such as Euro Disneyland, the Eurotunnel, and major pipeline projects and electric generating facilities. Project finance is a form of non-recourse or limited recourse financing and is increasingly emerging as an alternative to conventional methods of financing infrastructure and other large-scale projects worldwide. This class will define project financing, differentiate it from traditional corporate finance, and explore the role and structure of the international institutions involved in project financing. The class will describe the types of financial instruments used in these projects and develop a practitioner’s level understanding of the legal, political and environmental considerations involved in project financing.

Public Service

This concentration falls within AUK’s School of Public Service, created to address both the current and future needs of Kosovo’s public service workforce. The Public Service program  is primarily designed for senior members of Kosovo’s civil service. Most students enrolled in the concentration are sponsored by their ministry or other government agency.  However, persons working in municipal government, independent agencies, or political parties, would also benefit from this program. 
Courses included in the Public Service concentration include the following:
Readings in Public Policy (4 credits): An in-depth inquiry into the seminal literature influencing key contemporary public policy debates. Students engage in critical reflection and original thought on theoretical and applied public policy problems. Emphasis is placed on policy issues in selected science and technology fields.

Public Administration and Management (4 credits): This course provides an introduction to the fields of public administration and public management. This survey course covers topics such as bureaucratic behavior, program implementation, and recent innovations in management of public organizations.

Public Budgeting (4 credits): Fundamental concepts and practices of budgeting, financial management, and tax analysis are introduced.  The budget process, budget preparation, cost analysis, and budget reform in the context of Kosovo and European Union is reviewed.  An overview is provided of basic financial management functions, such as debt management and government accounting.  Students are provided the fundamental methods of analysis required for evaluation of public revenue and public expenditures.

International Project Finance (4 credits): Project financing is a contemporary financing technique used to finance large-scale natural resource and public/private infrastructure projects such as Euro Disneyland, the Eurotunnel, and major pipeline projects and electric generating facilities.  Project finance is a form of non-recourse or limited recourse financing and is increasingly emerging as an alternative to conventional methods of financing public infrastructure and other large-scale projects worldwide. This class will define project financing, differentiate it from traditional corporate finance, and explore the role and structure of international financial institutions involved in financing public-private partnerships and other forms of project based financing.  The class will describe the types of financial instruments used in these projects and develop a practitioner’s level understanding of the legal, political and public policy considerations involved in project financings.

Introduction to Project Management (4 credits): Addresses project management from a multidisciplinary perspective, covering the fundamental nature of managing a broad range of projects: public, business, engineering, manufacturing, medical, non-profit, and information systems-as well as techniques required to manage specific types of projects. Topics include Project Environment, Planning, Conflict & Negotiation, Budgeting, Scheduling, Resource Allocation, Monitoring & Controlling, and Project Termination. Addresses the unique and demanding role of the project manager, the challenges of cross-cultural projects, and the behavioral and quantitative facets of project management. Introduces the major areas of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) as defined by the Project Management Institute.

Seminar in Resource & Infrastructure Development (4 credits): A case based overview and critique of global, regional, and local resource and infrastructure development challenges and associated development policy interventions.  The course emphasizes the political, economic, and technological context of sustainable infrastructure and resource development.  The course uses international case studies to critique existing practices and to identify international best practices in infrastructure and resource planning, management, and development.  Topics include resource/infrastructure demand forecasting; strategies for conflict management and dispute resolution; strategies for stakeholder engagement; technology assessment and choice; sustainability and other key development performance indicators.

Principles of Administrative Law in Kosovo & European Union (4 credits): This survey course will consider the creation and control of the modern administrative state in the context of Kosovo and Europe. Topics will include the structure of Kosovo’s administrative agencies and their place in a governing scheme of separated but overlapping powers, delegation of authority to agencies, types and requirements of agency decision-making, availability and scope of judicial review of agency action (and inaction), and other forms of agency oversight. Key elements of administrative due process will be considered, including legislation covering specific policy areas such as environment, energy, financial regulation, public health, transportation, and telecommunications.

Strategic Employee Development (4 credits): This course provides individuals with a framework needed to successfully design learning interventions that drive performance improvements in their organizations. Students will examine adult learning principles and learning styles as well as best practices in organizational learning, employee development, and alternative delivery strategies. They identify how to link learning initiatives with organizational strategy and gain commitment to those initiatives from senior leaders.

The International System and Its Institutions (4 credits): This course offers a practical, policy-oriented introduction to the functioning of the contemporary, international system and the institutions that comprise it.  It will discuss the tools and mechanisms available to international statesmen in the contemporary world and how they have been applied in some specific situations of relevance to Kosovo.  It will provide an introduction into the structure and functioning of the key international organizations, including the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, the OSCE, and others.  There will be an introduction into the principles and practices of international law and discussion of some key contemporary international legal issues such as sovereignty and its limits, human rights, war crimes, and the International Criminal Court.  It will provide an introduction into the structure and operation of the international economic system, with an emphasis on the role of key institutions important to Kosovo such as the IMF, the World Bank, and the WTO.  Given Kosovo's geographical location and the importance of Europe to Kosovo's future, there will be a special emphasis on Europe and its institutions.  The course will provide a brief history of European integration in the post-WW II era, discuss the current structure of European institutions, and key issues facing the EU today, including EU expansion, institutional change, and the EU's role in European and international security.

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Requirements
Applicants must have completed a bachelor’s degree from an internationally recognized, accredited university, with a grade point average of 3.0 or above based on the U.S. grading scale (IELTS or other GPA equivalents accepted). 
As all courses are taught exclusively in English, proficiency, as demonstrated by an institutional TOEFL score of 550 (or equivalent) is required. Applicants who have been certified for a bachelors degree from an accredited university/college within the United States, Canada, England or Australia are not subject to the TOEFL requirement.
For complete information on the degree, the application process, fees and schedules, please direct your inquiries to:
Lendita Rugova, Graduate Programs Coordinator, at 038 518 542 Ext. 151, or lrugova@aukonline.org